Friday, December 17, 2010

We’ve been here just under a month and I’m still getting used to the fact I can go out and buy food at any time of the day or night. And the shelves aren’t empty and if they do run out of something, they’ll restock it in a few days, not a week or month or never! It’s crazy. It’s freezing here so I am now the proud owner of two new winter coats (my previous one was a show pony, not a work horse) and have lost many a glove all ready. I am truly my father’s daughter. My mom used to threaten to make him wear mittens on a string and really, that would be the economical choice for me.

I’m happy to say this year feels like Christmas. When you’re in a place where the coldest it gets is 60-something and there’s no snow, it doesn’t feel very Christmas-y. Also, the Portuguese decorate a little different and with the streets being so narrow, it’s not easy to drive around to see the decorations like it is in the U.S. So walking into stores here and seeing tons of décor and trees and all the snow is amazing. It’s overwhelming (but apparently any store that isn’t a shoebox is overwhelming to me), and part of me thinks it’s a bit decadent with all the toys and things to buy. I’m reeling myself in which is made easier by the fact we are basically starting all over. Our things we stored in South Dakota are not here yet (and I’ve been warned most might be broken based on other people’s experiences) and our stuff we had in Portugal is still there and not expected to get here for three months. So we didn’t even have a trash can, a pot or pan, or even a cup to our names. So we’re starting from scratch.

I’m excited that we found a place to live. It had a lot of what we were looking for (fireplace, gourmet kitchen, nice office space, first floor master and laundry) and oddly the walls are the exact color I had planned to paint. My only complaint…who am I kidding? Complaints, plural, have been the plumbing issue, my lack of love for the stove, and the lack of lighting. The great room gets so dark at night. I need a visit from the lamp fairy.

There’s still so much to do and get ready, so no trips planned. I’m a little disappointed by that, but someone I live with is happy to stay home. I’m just happy to not have to get on anymore planes, pack, or worry about whether or not the food plane made it in or not. To me, that's a dream come true.